System for heating water



Nov. 20, 1928.

J. E. GANNON ET AL SYSTEM FOR HEATING WATER Filed Dec. 29,1926

Patented- Nov. 20, 1928.

UNITED STA JAMES E;

GANNON ANDMONTAGUE W. WARD, OF

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID warm ASSIGNOR'TO JOHN MARK GANNON, OF ERIE-PENNSYLVANIA.

srs' 'rmt roa HEATING WATER.

l I -Appli cation med Decemberl29, 192s. SerialNo. 157,774.

This invention'relates to heaters for hot water and consists of 'a boiler tank in which is placed an electric heating unit which is connected to a source of energy and which may be switched on and off at will. Also a thermostatically controlled automatic switch to throw off the current when the water hecomes sufiiciently heated, and to throw the current on again when the water lowers in temperature.

These and other features will appear hereafter, and will be fully pointed out and explained.

The features of our invention are illustratcd in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a vertical central section of a water heater embodying our invention.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic drawing of the thermo-automatic switch of our invention.

In these drawin Aindicates the shell of a water boiler, A indicates the head thereof and A indicates the bottom of the boiler. Through the side wall A of the shell is placed a cylindrical member B having'an opening B through the under side of the wall thereof adjacent to the wall A of the boiler.

The member B is inclined upward and upon the end thereof we place a connection B", and in the connection B we place an upri ht tube C which extends nearly to the head A of the boiler. Within the upwardly inclined member B we place an electric heating unit D to which are secured wires E and E which extend to a switch board F located in the base of the boiler. This switch board is provided with a switch mechanism F by means of which connection is made with the wires G and G leading to a source of energy.

At a suitable distance downward from the head A of the boiler we place a thermostat H which has an arm H projecting through the wall A of the boiler into the water. contained therein, which when the water hecomes heated sufiiciently operates the mechanism within the thermostat H.

Within the thermostat H is a mercury tube J, see Fig. 2 which has been tilted by the thermostat arm H so that the mercury therein, shown by broken line, runs toward one end of the tube J and emerses the ends of the wires J and J, and thereby makes a connection between them.

Behind the switch board F in the base of the boiler is a magnetically operated make and break switch K having magnetic coilsK and K The wire J shunts from the wire E, runs through the magnetic coil K to the mercury tube J of the thermostat, thence through the mercury to the wire J 2 and thence to the line E, thus magnetizing the coil K and holds the switch K in contact with the contact post is through which the circuit is maintained.

Vhen the temperature of the water in the boiler is lowered sufficiently the mercury tube J tips the other way and the mercury therein slides to the opposite end of the tube, thus breaking the circuit between the terminalsof the wires J and J and emersing the ends of the terminals of the wires J 2 and J thus completing the circuit through the wires J 2 and J and magnet coil K. The shunt circuit branching off of the line E and returning to the line E, thus magnetizing the coil K and drawing the switch away from the contact post is, breaking the circuit through the heating unit D. The circuit remains broken until the temperature of the water in the boiler causes the mercury tube J to reverse itself again, when the heating unit will be heated again.

In the boiler itself the tubes 13 and C separate the circulation of warm water from the body of the cold water, the water entering the tube B through the opening B adjacent to the lower end thereof, and leaving the upper end of the tube C, and mixing with the body of the water in the boiler A until the body of water in the boiler becomes heated sutficiently downto the thermostat arm H. It is estimated that there will be enough water heated in the upper end of the boiler to furnish a. bath, and by the time more is needed the heating unit will function sufiiciently to an ply it.

aving thus fully shown and described suitable mechanism and apparatus to automatically supply hot water, so that others can utilize our invention, we do not desire to be limited to the exact arrangement shown and described as man modifications can be made therein without eparting from the scope of our invention, therefore what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: g I

.In a system for heating water, a tank, an electric heating unit within said tank, a main electric circuit including a make and break device, a shunt circuit including a magnetic coil connected with said main circuit, a make and break device in said shunt circuit by means of which said shunt circuit can be 5 closed, a second shunt circuit including a magnetic coil connected with said main circuit, a make and breakdevice in said second shunt clrcuit by means of which said second shunt circuit can be closed, and a thermostatic device actuated by the temperature of 10 the water in said tank to alternately energize said magnetic coils.

In testimony whereof We atfix our signa tures.

JALLES E. GANNON. MONTAGUE W. WARD. 

